The Enlightenment
“Age of Reason”
Learning Objective
Day 1
► Students
will be able
to define the
Enlightenment and key
vocabulary, and
identify the historical
roots of this time
period.
Key Vocabulary
► Enlightenment:
a period during the 1600s and
1700s in which educated Europeans changed their
outlook on life by seeing reason as the key to
human progress.
► Age of Reason: another name for the
Enlightenment
► Salons: in France, a simple meeting of
philosophers to discuss ideas during the
Enlightenment
► Philosopher: a scholar or thinker
► Reason: Using logical thinking, not superstition
Roots of the Enlightenment
► The
Enlightenment grew out of the
Renaissance, Reformation, and the Scientific
Revolution.
► What’s the same?: Like all of these other
movements, much Enlightenment thinking
challenged accepted beliefs.
► What’s new?: Enlightenment philosophers
wanted to use the ideas and reason of the
Scientific Revolution for problems in
government and society.
Think/Pair/Share
• In what ways are the periods of the
Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific
Revolution similar to the Enlightenment?
• A’s share with B’s
• B’s share with A’s
• I will now choose someone to explain to
the class.
• Ans: They are similar because they all
challenged accepted beliefs.
Think/Pair/Share
• In what new areas did Enlightenment
philosophers want to use reason?
• B’s share with A’s
• A’s share with B’s
• I will now choose someone to explain to
the class.
• Ans: They wanted to use reason for
problems in government and society.
Light out of the Darkness
►A
Frenchman, Bernard de Fontenelle,
expressed this optimistic faith in reason and
progress. In 1702, he wrote that the new
century “will become more enlightened day
by day, so that all previous centuries will be
lost in darkness by comparison.”
The Salons
France, thinkers called philosophes (French for
“philosophers”) championed the idea of reason in
government.
► Philosophers often gathered in informal meetings,
called salons. There they exchanged and
debated ideas for hours.
► Many salons were organized by women.
Gatherings like these helped to shape and spread
the ideas of the Enlightenment.
► Think/Pair/Share: Describe the purpose of a salon.
► In
Why is this important?
►
►
Many of our own ideas
about government, such
as the Declaration of
Independence and the
American Constitution got
their ideas directly from
the Enlightenment.
In fact, many of America’s
founding fathers studied
the ideas of the
Enlightenment thinkers
during the American
Revolution.
Left to right: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams,
Thomas Jefferson
Whiteboard
•
Which of these was greatly influenced by
the Enlightenment?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The mandate of Heaven
The Magna Carta
The Catholic Church
The American Revolution
Whiteboard
•
Which of these was greatly influenced by
the Enlightenment?
D. The American Revolution
What a concept!
► Enlightenment
thinkers
rejected authority and
upheld the freedom of
individuals to think for
themselves.
► Rene
Descartes: “I
think, therefore I am.”
Enlightenment and Government
► Enlightenment
thinkers criticized accepted ideas
about government. Some questioned the
medieval belief in the divine right of kings [the
idea that God chose a country’s king, and that the
king got his authority from God.]
► Many Enlightenment thinkers stressed individual
rights that governments must respect.
► Enlightenment thinkers also felt that people should
have a say in their government.
Whiteboard
• What old, medieval concept about
government did Enlightenment thinkers
reject?
• Divine Right of Kings
• Name one thing they did believe about
government:
• Possible answers: Individual rights,
people having a say in government.
Enlightenment and Religion
► Enlightenment
thinkers believed humans
were capable of discovering truth for
themselves.
► Many believed in an all powerful deity (or
God), but not in a specific church or holy
book. Some called themselves Deists [Deeists].
► Right and Wrong should be based on
rational insight.
Whiteboard
• In what way was the Enlightenment similar
to the Scientific Revolution?
A. BOTH focused on government and society
B. BOTH highly valued reason and
observation.
C. BOTH denied the existence of God.
D. BOTH were unimportant.
Whiteboard
• In what way was the Enlightenment similar
to the Scientific Revolution?
B. BOTH highly valued reason and
observation.
Whiteboard closing questions
• What is another name for Enlightenment?
• Age of Reason
• Where would people meet to discuss ideas during the
Enlightenment?
• A salon
• What is the period during the 1600s and 1700s in which
educated Europeans changed their outlook on life by
seeing reason as the key to human progress?
• The Enlightenment
• The Enlightenment took the reason of the Scientific
Revolution and used it for_________
• Government
Learning Objective
Days 2-4
► Students
will be able
to describe the ideas
of major
Enlightenment
thinkers.
► Fill
out the chart as the
presentation
progresses.
Thomas Hobbes
►
►
►
►
►
Hobbes believed people are naturally
selfish, cruel, and greedy.
In 1651, he published a book called
Leviathan. In this book, he wrote
that people are driven by a restless
desire for power.
Without laws, people would always
be in conflict.
In such a “state of nature”, life would
be “nasty, brutish, and short.”
His idea: Governments were created
to protect people from their own
selfishness.
Hobbes continued….
► Later
Enlightenment thinkers might not
have agreed with Hobbes…
► But, he was important because he was one
of the first thinkers to apply reason to the
problem of politics
► His ideas may sound harsh, but it was
based on his own observations of human
nature and reasoning.
Think/Pair/Share
• Hobbes’ ideas are based on the idea that
people are naturally selfish. Do you agree
with this? Why or why not?
• What does Hobbes mean when he said
that if there was no government, life would
be “nasty, brutish, and short.”?
• Do you agree with this idea? Tell your
partner why or why not. Be prepared to
share your answer with the class.
Add these definitions to your
vocabulary list
► Social
Contract: an agreement between people
and their government, in which people give up
some things in return for the benefit of having
government.
► Natural rights: rights that people have simply for
being human.
► Bill of rights: a list of basic rights a government
must protect.
► Constitutional Monarchy: a form of government in
which the king’s power is limited by a basic set of
laws, or Constitution.
Think/Pair/Share
• Look at the definition for natural rights.
With your partner, list as many rights as
you can think of on your whiteboards that
you believe people have just for being
human.
John Locke: Social Contract and
Natural Rights
►
►
►
He wrote Two Treatises of
Government in 1690.
He believed the purpose of
government was to protect
people’s natural rights. He said
government should protect,” his
life, liberty, and property—against
the injuries and attempts of other
men.”
His idea: The true basis of
government was a social contract
between people and their
government. If the government
didn’t respect people’s rights, it
could be overthrown.
John Locke: Social Contract and
Natural Rights
► In
exchange protection, people gave
government the power to rule on their
behalf. We call this idea the “consent of the
governed.”
► Lasting Impact: the idea that government
could be overthrown if it failed to respect
people’s rights had wide influence and was
ultimately echoed in the American
Declaration of Independence.
Locke’s ideas in England
► Locke
was in favor of constitutional
monarchies. This meant laws or a
constitution limited the power of the
monarchs (or kings).
► In 1689, the English set down a new set of
rules called the English Bill of Rights. This
strengthened the power of the people and
their representatives in Parliament (an
English congress.)
Whiteboard
• The following ideas come from the
Declaration of Independence and the U.S.
Constitution's Bill of Rights. Which most
closely relates to the work of John Locke?
•
•
•
•
A.
B.
C.
D.
speedy and public trial
innocent until proven guilty
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Freedom of speech and the press
Whiteboard
• The following ideas come from the
Declaration of Independence and the U.S.
Constitution's Bill of Rights. Which most
closely relates to the work of John Locke?
• C.
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Whiteboard
• Approved in 1689, the new set of rights for
Parliament and the English people were
set down in the
•
•
•
•
A. Magna Carta
B. Orders of Parliament
C. Laws of William & Mary
D. English Bill of Rights
Whiteboard
• Approved in 1689, the new set of rights for
Parliament and the English people were
set down in the
D. English Bill of Rights
Montesquieu: Separation of Powers
► Like
Locke, Montesquieu was concerned with how
to protect liberty from a bad government.
► He Wrote The Spirit of Laws in 1748. In this book,
he described how governments should be
organized.
► His idea: The separation of powers: By
dividing different powers among more than one
branch of government, no one group in the
government could grow too powerful.
Montesquieu continued….
► Each
branch of government checked the other
branches. When powers were not separated this
way, Montesquieu warned, liberty was soon lost.
He said: “When the legislative and executive
powers are united in the same person…, there can
be no liberty.”
► Lasting Impact: He greatly influenced the men
who wrote the U.S. Constitution. We now have a
separate legislative (Congress), judicial (courts),
and executive (President) branch.
Whiteboard
If Baron de Montesquieu were to visit the
United States today, he might be most
pleased to see the
•
•
•
•
A.
B.
C.
D.
Bill of Rights.
Three branches of government.
Government-run tax system.
Declaration of Independence.
Whiteboard
If Baron de Montesquieu were to visit the
United States today, he might be most
pleased to see the
• B.
Three branches of government.
Whiteboard Closing Questions
• What is it called when the people give up certain powers in return for
the benefits of government?
• A social contract
• What are rights that you have simply for being human?
• Natural rights
• What did Locke say these natural rights included?
• Life, Liberty, Property
• When we split the powers of government among three branches,
what is this called?
• Separation of Powers
• Who came up with that idea?
• Montesquieu
• If the government becomes corrupt, what does Locke say to do?
• Overthrow the government
Voltaire: Religious tolerance and
free speech
►
►
►
►
Voltaire was an Enlightenment
writer.
His most famous novel was
Candide, in which he poked fun at
old religious ideas.
Voltaire was especially concerned
with freedom of thought and
expression.
His idea: He had a strong belief in
religious tolerance and free speech.
Tolerance means the acceptance
of different beliefs and customs.
Voltaire Continued…
► Voltaire
said, “I disapprove of what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to
say it.”
► Lasting Impact: Voltaire met Benjamin
Franklin, and when the U.S. Bill of Rights
was written, the ideas of freedom of religion
and freedom of speech were added to our
1st amendment to the Constitution.
Think/Pair/Share
• What does Voltaire mean when he says, “I
disapprove of what you say, but I will
defend to the death your right to say it.”?
• Do you agree with Voltaire? Why or why
not?
Whiteboard
•
Which of the following statements would
most likely have been made by Voltaire?
A. "The king needs absolute power."
B. "The government protects people's natural
rights."
C. "We should do away with the death penalty."
D. "People must be free to speak their minds."
Whiteboard
•
Which of the following statements would
most likely have been made by Voltaire?
D. "People must be free to speak their minds."
Cesare Beccaria: The Rights of the
Accused
► In
the Middle Ages,
torture of criminals
was common. The
rack was often used,
as well as devices like
thumbscrews.
► Beccaria, an Italian,
wrote a book called On
Crimes and
Punishments in which
he argued against
brutal punishments.
Beccaria continued….
► His
ideas: A person accused of a crime should
receive a fair and speedy trial. Torture should
never be used. Capital Punishment (death
sentences) should be done away with.
► “For a punishment to be just it, should consist of
only such gradations of intensity as to suffice to
deter men from committing crimes.” This means
that “punishment should fit the crime” and not be
more than necessary to stop someone else from
doing it again.
Think/Pair/Share
• How were Beccaria’s ideas different from
the usual ways of treating prisoners in the
Middle Ages?
• What does the phrase, “the punishment
should fit the crime,” mean to you?
• Do you think this is important? Why or
why not?
Beccaria’s impact
► Beccaria’s
ideas were adopted straight into
our Constitution’s Bill of Rights. In fact our
8th amendment prevents “cruel and unusual
punishment” for crimes, and our 6th
amendment provides for a speedy trial.
(The only exception is the Death Penalty,
which we still have in the United States
today.)
Whiteboard closing questions
• What freedoms did Voltaire want for the people?
• Freedom of Religion and Speech
• What types of punishments was Beccaria
against?
• Torture and excessive punishment
• Where can we see examples of Voltaire’s ideas
in America?
• Bill of Rights, 1st ammendment
• What idea of Beccaria’s did the U.S. NOT use?
• Getting rid of the death penalty
Learning Objective
► Students
will be able
to describe how
democratic thoughts
and governments were
influenced by the
Enlightenment.
Impact of the Enlightenment on
Government
► Modern
views of government owe a great
deal to Enlightenment thinkers. The
Enlightenment influenced monarchs in
Europe, especially "enlightened despots,"
and greatly affected revolutions in America
and France.
Enlightened Rule by Monarchs
► Despot:
a king or other ruler with absolute,
unlimited power.
► The Enlightenment did not change Europe
overnight. Many countries still had kings. Some
of them became “enlightened despots” by using
enlightenment ideas in their countries.
► Examples: Some kings ended the use of torture,
started universities, and used religious tolerance.
They wanted to keep the people happy without
losing their power.
The American and French
Revolutions
► Both
America and France had revolutions
overthrowing their kings. However, the revolution
in France was much more violent.
Whiteboard
•
The Enlightenment led to revolutions in
which two countries?
A. America and France
B. France and Ireland
C. England and Italy
D. America and Spain
Whiteboard
•
The Enlightenment led to revolutions in
which two countries?
A. America and France
The Enlightenment in America
► Enlightenment
ideas had a major influence on the
leaders of the American Revolution. English
leaders in America shared with John Locke the
traditions of the Magna Carta and the English Bill
of Rights.
► When the Americans rebelled in 1775, they
pointed to the abuse of their rights by the English
king.
► The Declaration of Independence echoed Locke’s
ideas on natural rights and the purpose of
government.
“We the People”
Other Enlightenment ideas
can be seen in the U.S.
Constitution. America’s
basic law includes
Montesquieu’s idea of
separation of powers.
► The Bill of Rights protects
the freedom of religion
and speech championed
by Voltaire. It also
includes some of the rights
supported by Beccaria,
such as the right to a
speedy trial.
►
Think/Pair/Share
• Name two Enlightenment ideas that are
included in our Declaration of
Independence, Constitution or Bill of
Rights.
• Which Enlightenment idea do you think is
the most important for us to follow in
America today? Why do you think that?
Enlightenment in France
► In
1789, revolution broke out in France.
The National Assembly adopted the
Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen.
This document talked about liberty and
equality. It upheld the rights to own
property, and freedom of speech and
religion.
Violence of the French Revolution
►
►
►
Soon, however, terrible
violence erupted.
Thousands of wealthy
Frenchmen and members
of the Royal family were
beheaded on the
guillotine.
Guillotine: a machine that
cut off people’s heads by
dropping a sharp blade.
The bloody chaos brought
a strange end to the
Enlightenment dream
based on reason.
Learning Objective
► Students
will be able
to list the contributions
of women to the
Enlightenment.
Women of the Enlightenment
► Several
women, such as Madame Geoffrin,
Abigail Adams, Olympe de Gouges, and
Mary Wollstonecraft, worked to extend
ideas of liberty and equality to women.
► Once the ideas of the Enlightenment were
expressed, women wanted these rights as
well as men.
Whiteboard
• What was at the heart of women’s
contributions to the Enlightenment?
A. They wanted the abolition of slavery
B. They wanted women to have the same
rights as men
C. They wanted women to be absolute ruler
D. They wanted a separation of powers
Whiteboard
• What was at the heart of women’s
contributions to the Enlightenment?
B. They wanted women to have the same
rights as men
French Enlightenment Women
► Madame
Geoffrin used her home for many of the
salon meetings in France. She not only hosted the
meetings, but often directed the conversations
and settled arguments.
► Olympe de Gouges published the female version of
the document of the French Revolution. She
called it the Declaration of the Rights of Woman
and the Female Citizen. She called for equality in
all things. When she spoke out against the
bloodshed of the French Revolution, they sent her
to the guillotine.
Think/ Pair/Share
• Who were the two famous French women
of the Enlightenment?
Abigail Adams
►
►
Wife to John Adams, who
was a leader of the
American Revolution and
later President.
She reminded John not to
forget women in the
Revolution. “Remember,
all men would be tyrannts
if they could. If particular
care and attention is not
paid to the Ladies, we are
determined to start a
rebellion…we will not hold
ourselves bound to any
Laws in which we have no
voice.”
Mary Wollstonecraft
►
►
An English writer. In
1792, she argued that
women deserved the same
rights and opportunities as
men.
Wollstonecraft believed
education was the key for
women wanting equality
and freedom. She inspired
many later leaders of the
women’s rights movement
in America.
Think/ Pair/Share
• List the contributions of Mary
Wollstonecraft.